Course Numbering SystemThe course numbering system indicates the level at which courses are offered. Use the “Course Descriptions ” for individual course detail.
Course Number |
Level of Instruction |
000-099 |
Courses not for baccalaureate degree credit |
100-299 |
Lower-division courses |
300-499 |
Upper-division courses |
500-599 |
Post-baccalaureate and professional level courses |
600-699 |
Graduate level courses |
700-799 |
Doctoral level courses |
Course DescriptionsCourse descriptions briefly describe the content or subject matter to be covered and provide additional information on units of credit, the level of instruction (see the course numbering system) and prerequisites and/or co-requisites.
Students may not earn credit in a cross-listed course a second time under an alternate prefix.
Special Course Numbers
The following course numbers are reserved across all prefixes:
- 196G, 396G: Provisional GE
- 490 and 690: Independent study
- 493, 693: Project
- 495, 695: Practicum
- 497, 697: Issues in or Special Topics
- 398, 498, and 698: Co-operative Education
- 499: Capstone (senior thesis)
- 691: University Thesis
- 692: Comprehensive Exam Review
- 699: Department Thesis
If faculty so choose the use of postscripts for their courses, note the following postscripts (also referred to as suffixes) shall be reserved across all course numbers:
- L (Lab courses)
- T (Transitional/Temporary/Bridge courses for quarter-to-semester)
- Y (Activity courses)
Postscripts are limited to the use of letters A - J, with course postscripts listed in alphabetical order for sequence courses.
Course Description IconsStudents may see one of three icons located in a specific course description. These icons designate which overlay, a graduation requirement, the course fulfills. To read about the specific overlay associated with a specific course, students can click on the icon located in the course description for more information, or students can go to the General Education Program chapter for more detailed information.
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Diversity & Multicultural Overlay
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Social Justice Overlay
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Sustainability Overlay
Non-catalog CoursesEach semester, Cal State East Bay offers a variety of new courses whose descriptions are not yet in the catalog. Such courses carry full credit as regular courses in the curriculum. Generally, these courses will be numbered 497 or 697; new general education courses will be numbered 196 or 396. Students, therefore, should check with their advisors to confirm which degree requirements these new courses satisfy and not hesitate to take them.
Descriptions of new, non-catalog courses appear in the Class Schedule each semester. A new course may be passed by examination or challenged only after it has been listed in the Class Schedule and has been or is being taught.
Credit Hour/Unit Value As of July 1, 2011, federal law (Title 34, Code of Federal Regulations, sections 600.2 and 600.4) requires all accredited institutions to comply with the federal definition of the credit hour. All college courses at Cal State East Bay have unit values based on the Federal credit hour policy.
For all CSU degree programs and courses bearing academic credit, the “credit hour” is defined as “the amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than:
- One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or
- At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other academic activities as established by the institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.”
A credit hour is assumed to be a 50-minute period. In courses in which “seat time” does not apply, a credit hour may be measured by an equivalent amount of work, as demonstrated by student achievement.
Auditing CoursesAn auditor (an enrolled student or non-enrolled individual) pays the same fees and enjoys the same instructional privileges as a student enrolled for credit, but is not held responsible for examinations or term papers. Regular class attendance is expected, and enrollment as an auditor may be deleted if the expected attendance is not observed. If students wish to enroll in a course as an auditor, they must obtain permission from the instructor of the course. Enrollment as an auditor is permitted only after students otherwise eligible to enroll on a credit basis have had an opportunity to do so. Once enrolled in a course as an auditor, students may not change their enrollment to a credit basis unless such a change is requested no later than the last day to add classes. Students, who are enrolled in a course for credit, may not change to an audit basis after the Add/Drop period has ended.
Co-requisiteA co-requisite course is a course that must be taken concurrently in the same semester, or has been previously completed.
Credit EquivalencyA semester course that is replacing a quarter course(s) within a department, where both can be considered equivalent for major requirement, articulation, and academic renewal purposes. If a course is equivalent, students who took the quarter version of the course, and passed, cannot then register for and receive credit for the semester version of the course.
Cross-listed CoursesCross-listed courses are two identical courses (number, title, units, classification and description are the same), but each have differing course prefixes. Cross-listed courses can belong to differing departments or the same department. An example could be: ABC 123 is cross listed with XYZ 123 - they are the same course except for their prefixes. Cross-listed course-pairs are identified in their corresponding course descriptions.
Dual-listed CoursesDual-listed courses are those that are identical in content with undergraduate and graduate students taught in the same classroom, with the same instructor, and at the same time. However, the course requirements will be different for the undergraduate and graduate students. The undergraduate course should have an upper division course number (i.e., 300-499); the graduate course will have a 600-level course number.
Independent Study CourseAn Independent Study course is a program of study, which is above and beyond the regular offerings of a department. The number of such a course is 490 and 690. Such a course is considered as elective credit in the program of a student working for a specified objective.
Note: Students may apply no more than 9 units of independent study in the major department and 8 units in other departments to a baccalaureate degree.
The privilege of Independent Study is limited to undergraduate students who have at least a 2.0 (C) grade point average and graduate students with at least a 3.0 (B) grade point average in all courses in the field or department in which the Independent Study is to be taken, both at this institution and in any work attempted at other institutions. If students are on academic probation, they are ineligible for Independent Study. Independent Study is restricted to students who are able to work with minimal supervision. No faculty member is required to teach an Independent Study course, and arrangements must be made to determine how the faculty’s teaching overload (if any) will be made up.
Students may obtain applications for Independent Study (Special Registration Petition) in departmental offices. The application, with signatures of approval, is to be returned to the department office during the enrollment period for that term.
A course offered by Independent (or Individual) Study shall be taught only by a professor in the department offering the credit or by a professor the department judges to be competent to teach the particular course.
Individual Study CourseAn Individual Study course is a course that is listed in the Cal State East Bay Catalog, but is not being offered during the term in which a student must gain course credit to complete a specified objective. Permission to take such a course may be granted only in cases of necessity, and arrangements must be made to determine how the faculty’s teaching overload (if any) will be made up. Students may obtain applications for Individual Study (Special Registration Petition) in departmental offices. They then return the application, with signatures of approval, to the departmental office during the enrollment period for that semester.
Prefixes (Course, Dept, College)Prefixes are abbreviations for colleges, departments, and courses of study. Click on this PDF link for course, department, and college prefix definitions: PDF - 2020-21 Prefix Definitions
PrerequisitesA prerequisite is another course or group of courses containing necessary background material for full understanding of the course content or a non-course requisite. Some courses have prerequisites. If a course has a required prerequisite (as noted in the course description) it must be successfully completed before enrolling in the course.
Note: While every effort has been made to include prerequisite courses within programs, prerequisite units may not be included in the total program units and therefore should be considered when planning a program roadmap. Consult with an academic/faculty advisor or department for further information concerning prerequisites and program roadmaps.
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